Chilean Air Force confirms delivery timeline for Black Hawk helos

Chilean Air Force(FACh) has confirmed the service is to receive all of its recently ordered Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters by the end of this year.
The first three of six S-70i helicopters ordered in December 2016 will be delivered to Chile in August, with the remaining three following in October.
After several years of searching and studying, the FACh selected the Polish-built S-70i so as to receive the aircraft as soon as possible. Since the air force has fielded a single S-70A since 1998, it has some experience of the type.
The FACh’s S-70i Black Hawks have been built to the US Army’s UH-60M standard, and will be especially useful for high-altitude operations. Once in service, they are being used to augment the service’s existing S-70A, Bell 412EP/SP, UH-1H, and Bell 206 JetRanger III helicopter fleet.
janes

Chile signs for Black Hawk helos

Chile has signed for six Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters to be delivered in 2018.
The contract signing followed a type selection made by the Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aérea de Chile: FACh) in September, in which the Black Hawk beat off competition from Leonardo Helicopters, Airbus Helicopters, Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI), and Rosoboronexport, which had offered the AW149, H215, Surion, and Mi-17 'Hip' respectively.
The S-70i (international) helicopters are to be built by Sikorsky's subsidiary, PZL Mielec, in Poland. Improvements made on the S-70i over the baseline Black Hawk include a fully integrated digital glass cockpit featuring colour 6x8-inch (15x20 cm) multifunction display (MFD) units and a dual digital automatic flight-control system (AFCS). It also features a digital map and more powerful General Electric T700-GE-701D engines (but with T700-GE-701C control systems).
Once delivered, they will augment the one S-70 that the FACh received in 1998 as well as its remaining rotary fleet of mainly Bell 412 and UH-1H platforms. While the current plan is to procure just six aircraft, Sikorsky has previously told that there is the potential for more to be bought at a later date.
janes

Poland picks Black Hawks after end of H225M talks

Sikorsky’s Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec already appears to be benefiting from the collapse of acquisition talks between its rival Airbus Helicopters and the Warsaw government.
Last week the country’s ministry of economic development ended nearly 18 months of protracted wrangling over a 50-unit commitment for H225M Caracal helicopters. It cited irreconcilable differences about the level of industrial offset proposed, which it said needed to equal the Zl13 billion ($3.4 billion) of the main contract.
However, all three branches of Poland’s armed forces still require new helicopters and its defence ministry has wasted little time in pushing business towards PZL Mielec, which assembles the S-70i Black Hawk for the international market.
During a visit to the firm’s assembly facility, defence minister Antoni Macierewicz said it would work to quickly finalise a deal for S-70is for operation by Polish special forces.
flightglobal

Brunei confirms Black Hawk transfer to Malaysia

Brunei confirmed its intention to transfer its S-70As Black Hawks to Malaysia on 28 January.
In a statement titled 'Defence Co-operation between Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia', the Brunei Ministry of Defence said that the transfer of the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAF) S-70As to Malaysia would take place in September when the RBAF's S-70i Black Hawks become operational.
The ministry did not state how many helicopters would be transferred, but the RBAF has four S-70As in service.
The statement ended by saying that the transfer would contribute to the capabilities of the Malaysian armed forces and to the efforts of the two countries in maintaining regional peace and stability.
janes

Brunei Accepts Four Sikorsky S-70i™ BLACK HAWK Helicopters for Regional Security Missions

Brunei International Defence Exhibition has accepted two Sikorsky S-70i™ BLACK HAWK helicopters into the Royal Brunei Air Force following an unveiling attended by His Majesty the Sultan. Two more Sikorsky S-70i BLACK HAWK helicopters are currently undergoing the process of acceptance at the Royal Brunei Air Force. Equipped with a suite of advanced avionics and sensors, the multirole aircraft can perform a variety of missions over land and water, including search and rescue, humanitarian relief, anti-piracy, troop transport and medical evacuation.
Brunei ordered 12 S-70i BLACK HAWK aircraft, all of which are set to arrive by the end of 2014.
The first batch of four aircraft arrived November 27 via Antonov transport plane from Sikorsky’s BLACK HAWK completion center in West Palm Beach, Florida, two months ahead of schedule.
sikorsky.com

Colombia Takes Delivery of First S-70i BLACK HAWK

Sikorsky Aircraft, has delivered to the Colombian Army two S-70i™ BLACK HAWK helicopters incorporating a Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System (HTAWS) as standard equipment. Colombia is the first country to field S-70i helicopters equipped with HTAWS, which Sikorsky has customized for the unique requirements of the combat assault and utility missions.
Sikorsky delivered the two HTAWS-equipped S-70i helicopters to Colombian Army officials August 13 during a ceremony at the company’s Florida Assembly and Flight Operations facility in West Palm Beach. Colombian aircrew then flew the two aircraft to the Army Special Operation Aviation Military base in Tolemaida, a distance of almost 3,000 nautical miles. The aircraft arrived August 29 after approximately 30 hours of flight.
Colombia is the first South American country to buy the S-70i BLACK HAWK helicopter variant, which Sikorsky first delivered to an international military customer in 2010. These two aircraft will join five other S-70i helicopters in Colombia acquired in January.
sikorsky

Colombian Army Contracts for Two Additional S-70i BLACK HAWK Helicopters

Sikorsky announced at the LAAD Defence & Security International Exhibition that the Colombian Army has contracted to buy two additional S-70i™ BLACK HAWK helicopters. The two aircraft will augment five S-70i helicopters that arrived January 30 in Colombia to join the Special Forces of the Colombian Army’s Air Assault Division.

sikorsky

Sikorsky hands over five S-70i helicopters to Colombia

Sikorsky has formally handed over five new S-70i Black Hawk multi-mission helicopters to the Colombian army. The aircraft were accepted during an 11 February ceremony in Tolemaida, Colombia.
The five aircraft were built in Mielec, Poland, and were then custom-equipped in the USA to meet Colombian requirements.
A team of Colombian pilots and maintainers flew the five aircraft from Sikorsky's facilities in Connecticut to Tolemaida, over 10 days of flying covering a distance of 6,975 km (4,334 miles), the company says. The S-70s arrived on 30 January.
The five S-70i aircraft join a fleet of 96 UH-60L helicopters operated by Colombia.

flightglobal

Primer vuelo de un S-70i en Polonia, país dónde es construido/ S-70 TM BLACK HAWK Helicopter Takes Historic First Flight in Poland

Un helicóptero Sikorsky S-70i BLACK HAWK fabricado por su subsidiaria PZL Mielec ha volado en Polonia por primera vez.
PZL Mielec realizará el montaje final del S-70i, la versión mas nueva del BLACK HAWK, destinada al mercado internacional, con un coste inferior..
(leer más)
______________________________________
An S-70i BLACK HAWK helicopter has flown in Poland for the first time, marking an historic milestone for the helicopter line being produced by Sikorsky Aircraft’s company in Poland, PZL Mielec.
PZL Mielec is the final assembly center for the S-70i helicopter, the newest BLACK HAWK variant, which is being produced for the international market. The aircraft that took flight in Poland today is the second helicopter to be produced at PZL Mielec.
(read more)

El Helicóptero S-70i completa programa de pruebas/ S-70i completes test program

El primer helicóptero S-70i ha terminado con éxito las pruebas iniciales de vuelo, y pronto comenzará las pruebas de desarrollo para ponerlo a disposición del mercado internacional.
El S-70i está basado en el BLACK HAWK, aunque por su diseño y capacidades se ofrece a un precio mas asequible.
El helicóptero será ensamblado en su mayor parte por PZL-Mielec en Polonia.
(leer más)
_______________________________________
The first S-70i helicopter has successfully completed production flight testing and will begin development and flight testing of options that will be made available to international customers.
Based on the battle proven BLACK HAWK helicopter, the S-70i helicopter has been designed with the specific features and capabilities most requested by international military customers, at an affordable price.
Sikorsky S-70i is ensambled by PZL-Mielec in Poland.
(read more)

Primer vuelo del primer S-70i Black Hawk construido en Polonia/ S-70i takes flight

El primer Black Hawk fabricado en Polonia por PZL, ha realizado su primer vuelo desde la planta de Sikorsky en Florida el pasado uno de julio.
key.Aero
_______________________________
Sikorsky’s S-70i Black Hawk helicopter made its first flight from the company’s West Palm Beach facility in Florida past July 1st.
Aircraft 0001 is the first to be received from the new assembly line at PZL Mielec in Poland.
key.Aero